MCG wants to reclaim amenities from GMDA

Councillors of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) said that they are considering reclaiming all amenities — master roads, green belts and CCTV cameras, among others — that were transferred to the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) in 2018, over concerns of deterioration and slow progress of work

Councillors of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) said that they are considering reclaiming all amenities — master roads, green belts and CCTV cameras, among others — that were transferred to the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) in 2018, over concerns of deterioration and slow progress of work.

Green belts, among other civic amenities, were transferred to the GMDA in 2018. (HT Archive)

The MCG’s councillors floated an agenda in this regard and the same will be put forward for discussion during MCG’s House meeting on Saturday, said officials.

Mayor Madhu Azad said that the issue of transferring amenities back to the MCG was raised by councillors during a civic body meeting on July 20, after severe waterlogging in the city.

“All councillors approached me with this issue and we unanimously agreed that bringing back the amenities to the MCG is of utmost importance. The GMDA is not taking care of the amenities properly. We will be content even if GMDA just monitors the amenities and MCG carries out all the execution work,” said Azad.

Sudhir Rajpal, the chief executive officer of GMDA, declined to comment on the matter.

A senior official of the GMDA, wishing not to be named, said, “It (the transferring of amenities) is a policy decision. This was taken by the Haryana government three years ago. Continuing with GMDA, giving it back to MCG or making them work together is their decision. Such decisions take time, as it has to go through multiple levels. We will continue with our services, unless directed otherwise.”

In Gurugram, the MCG looks after all arterial roads, colony roads and internal drains, while the GMDA looks after master (major) roads, green belts, CCTV cameras and master drains. In its agenda, the MCG stated that under the GMDA’s care, the amenities are either deteriorating or work on projects is progressing slowly, and hence, they want them transferred to the MCG.

The GMDA has been facing a fund crunch and four years since its formation, it is yet to work out its financial model and relies on other public bodies for its revenue. On the other hand, the MCG is the richest civic body in Haryana.

In its 2021-22 budget, the GMDA has set an estimated expenditure of ₹1,848 crore, against an estimated revenue of ₹1,200 crore. On the other hand, for this fiscal year, the MCG has set an estimated expenditure of ₹2,583 crore and estimated revenue of ₹4,899 crore, with an estimated profit of ₹2,316 crore.

Azad said that due to disparity in the work carried out by MCG and GMDA, the city’s development is getting lopsided. “There is a huge gap in the city’s amenities. The streets and internal roads are properly built while most major roads are either pothole-ridden or nearing degradation. For citizens, the discrepancy is difficult to comprehend. All master services are in dire need of an upgrade as well as upkeep,” said Azad.

On Thursday, MCG commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja also held an internal meeting with officials at the MCG’s Sector 34 office regarding Saturday’s House meeting, in which the agenda was also discussed.

“The matter was deliberated upon in the meeting. Even if the agenda gets approval in the House, it would be forwarded to the Haryana government for final approval. As the Haryana government had decided to transfer the amenities from MCG to GMDA, they are the ones holding the power for transferring them back,” a senior MCG official, wishing not to be named, said.

The MCG House meeting is scheduled to take place at 11am on Saturday at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration’s office in Sector 18.